


Late Night Rendezvous (Josie and Kaidan)

by soldiermom1973



Series: Virmire Survivor [14]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Backstory, F/M, Fluff, MER Week, Shenko - Freeform, Shenkrios, Virmire Survivor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 01:13:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14863838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soldiermom1973/pseuds/soldiermom1973
Summary: Josie can't sleep, and wandering her ship grants her some unexpected company.





	Late Night Rendezvous (Josie and Kaidan)

**Author's Note:**

> Another fluffy bit for Day 3 of the [Mass Effect Relationships Week](http://vorchagirl.tumblr.com/post/161389252811/mass-effect-relationships-week-fanfiction-promps) thing over on tumblr.

Josie couldn't sleep. Situation normal, to be honest. She couldn't tell you when the last time was she actually got a good, full night's rest since she started on this crazy journey chasing after a rogue Spectre. She'd lay in her bunk and toss and turn for a couple of hours before admitting defeat and wandering around the ship, trying to find something to do.

Tonight, she wandered to the cargo area, making her way to the weapons bench. She ran her fingers over the rifles in their various states of disassembly. One thing she had to give Ash credit for was the woman's knowledge of weaponry. It didn't matter if a gun was batarian, human, or asari in origin – if it could fire a projectile, Ash could make it work. Josie paused when she thought she heard something move behind her, listening for some indication as to who else was up at this ungodly hour.

When she didn't hear anything else, she meandered into engineering, nodding at the night shift crew and staring at the drive core as it hummed and pulsed. From there, she went to the requisitions counter and flipped through the console to see if the inventory had been updated. Not finding anything worth spending credits on, she made her way to the Mako, pausing when she heard something else.

“Hello?” Josie peeked around the corner of the tank, wanting to spare anyone any potential embarrassment. “Is anyone there?”

She saw a figure sitting on a crate with one leg dangling over the edge and the other leg bent at the knee. An arm was wrapped around the knee and a bottle of something dangled from their fingertips. She straightened up and walked to them, figuring they could use someone to talk to. A smile crept across her face when she neared the silhouette and she realized who it was.

“Commander,” came a soft acknowledgment when she neared.

“Lieutenant,” she nodded, leaning against the front of the Mako.

“Shepard,” he smirked.

“Alenko.”

“Josie.”

“Kaidan.”

The pair laughed at their banter and Kaidan held the bottle out to her. “Can't sleep?” he asked.

Josie shook her head and took a swallow, surprised at the sweet warmth that raced down her throat. She studied the bottle, trying to make out what Kaidan was sharing with her before just shrugging and taking another drink. “What's the occasion?” Josie asked, handing the bottle back.

“Today is the day I killed Vyrnnus,” was the quiet response.

“Oh,” she said. She turned, hopped up on the crate, and scooted back next to him, conscious of how close they were sitting. Part of her was thinking she should nudge him to move a little, and part of her figured it was harmless because no one else was around and she enjoyed sitting this close to him.

“Have you ever been through something that you thought you dealt with, but you find out you haven't dealt with it at all?” Kaidan sounded bitter and defeated, a tone that took Josie by surprise.

“You mean like something small bringing back a flood of memories? Yeah, I've had that happen.”

Kaidan took a long draw from the bottle and handed it to her. “It's been almost twenty years, you know. I don't even know what made me think of it. I was in the shower and I just... _remembered_ what day it was. Next thing I know, I'm thinking about any family he had and if they're ok and what the other people from Brain Camp are doing, how Rahna is doing and I'm just reliving the whole thing over and over again in my head...”

Josie handed the bottle back without taking a drink, letting Kaidan vent about what was bothering him. “It was a big deal, Kaidan. It's something that helped shape the person you are now. It'll always be there with you. And Rahna was important to you. You don't just forget someone like that.”

“But it isn't like I'm still hung up on her. I've been in other relationships, loved other people.” He turned his red-rimmed eyes in her direction and accepted the bottle. “I even went to therapy for a while, did some other things to help me deal with it. I hate that this is bothering me now, after all this time.” He took several long swallows and hung his head.

“That's the thing about pain and heartbreak,” she sighed. “It could be something as simple as a misspoken word when you were a kid and it'll come back and bug the hell out of you decades later. Grief is a funny thing.”

“So, what did you do?” Kaidan finally looked at her. “What did you do when this happened to you?”

Josie scooted a little closer so her leg was brushing against his. She fought the urge to lean her head on his shoulder as she thought about the best way to answer his question. “The last time it happened was when we caught up with Corporal Toombs.”

“Really? It didn't seem like that mission bothered you at all.”

“Because I'm good at hiding things like that from my crew. You guys shouldn't see me broken up, crying, screaming, grieving...” Her voice trailed off when she realized she was probably revealing too much to a subordinate. Then again, Kaidan was also her XO and if she couldn't talk to him, there really wasn't anyone else she had to lean on.

“So you grieved again?” he asked.

“Yes,” she answered. “It wasn't even the second time. Or third. Just when I think I've gotten over Akuze or Mindoir, something happens to make me think of it all over again.”

“This has happened to me before,” he admitted, turning his attention to the bottle in his hand. “Once or twice. I always just dealt with it on my own, but I hate it every time it happens.”

“I get that,” Josie said. She wanted to lace her fingers with his, to feel the warmth of his skin and give him some extra comfort, but she knotted her own fingers together instead. “But I want you to know that I'm here for you. If this bothers you again, let me know. You shouldn't have to go through these feelings alone.”

“Neither should you,” he stated, leveling a steady gaze in her direction. “I've got broad shoulders and am good with keeping secrets.”

“Noted,” she smiled.

The pair sat in silence for a while, passing the bottle back and forth until they drained it dry. “You know, you should probably take yourself off the duty roster tomorrow,” Josie said, sliding down from the crate. “Can't have my second-in-command trying to function while he's hungover.”

“I'll be fine,” he chuckled. “My biotics make it difficult to even get buzzed, much less hungover.”

“Right,” Josie smiled. “I'm still getting used to working with someone with your skills. You feeling any better?”

Kaidan just gave a non-commital shrug. “I will be. I always am.”

“Well, remember what I told you. Come to me. Please. I hate seeing you like this and I want to help.”

A sad smile tugged at his lips when he nodded. Josie studied him for a few moments before turning to walk back to the elevator.

“Hey, Commander?”

“Yeah?”

Josie turned around and saw Kaidan moved to the end of the Mako. Even in the dim lighting of the cargo hold, his amber eyes pierced through her and sent a delightful shiver down her spine. He leaned on the bumper and crossed his arms over his chest. Warmth spread through her stomach as she watched his muscles flex and stretch tight the material of his shirt.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime,” she cleared her throat and smiled. She watched him while she waited for the doors to slide shut, wondering if he felt the same butterflies in his stomach that she did in hers. Just before the doors hissed together, the corners of his mouth turned up and he flashed her one of the smiles that melted her heart. She decided the next time she couldn't sleep, she'd make her way down to the cargo hold. With any luck, Kaidan would be there, too.


End file.
